Rendezvous
by RoastedPorkchop
Summary: Before Tsunemori Akane, Sakaki Rei had been the female Inspector in Division 1, and Kagari Shusei had been more alive. ONESHOT.


**Me: Hi! I started watching ****_Psycho Pass _****two days ago and I just finished now and wow, that anime blew my mind. I was ****_really_**** sad about Kagari's death, though, so I thought I'd write a fanfic for him, that precious lil boi. :(**

**(this is also a warm-up for when I continue my other fanfics because I haven't written in a while lol.)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own ****_Psycho Pass nor Star Wars. _****I only own my OC, Sakaki Rei, and her interactions with the rest of the cast. Also, if anyone's ever had the same story idea for this fandom, then apologies, but I wasn't aware.**

**NOTE: This fanfic is set after the Specimen Case but before Tsunemori Akane arrives. AU-ish, as a result. ALSO, I address people by their last names here. In dialogues, first names may appear depending on the characters' relationship with Rei.**

**Rated T because of scenes and swear word/s, but also just to be safe.**

* * *

_"__Hey, do you believe in fate?"_

.

.

.

She stood in front of the spectacled Inspector as he went through her files. She was a little nervous — a given, considering she was in a new environment, and because of her decision to join the Ministry of Welfare's Public Safety Bureau. She was confident, however, in her academic rankings and in her Psycho Pass. _There's that, at least, _she comforted herself.

"Sakaki Rei. Nineteen years old," the Inspector, who had introduced himself as Ginoza Nobuchika, hummed. "Ranked second out of all the students who had taken the exam. Healthy Psycho Pass, too. I hope you know I have expectations for you, regardless of these achievements. As an Inspector, you'll have to be calm despite the harshness of the cases we deal with, in order to keep your Psycho Pass healthy. Of course, you were probably briefed on that before entering Division 1, but it doesn't hurt to make sure."

"I understand, Nobuchika-san."

"And these will be the Enforcers at Division 1's disposal," Ginoza said, standing as the other four people inside the office formed a straight line behind Rei. Rei turned around to see a man with brown hair wearing a tan-colored trench coat, a woman with black hair wearing a black suit, a man with black hair wearing a suit and tie, and a man with spiky orange hair wearing a black jacket with rolled-up sleeves. "Those are Masaoka Tomomi, Kunizuka Yayoi, Kogami Shinya, and Kagari Shusei. They are Enforcers."

"En..forcers?" The words sounded foreign to her.

"Hounds, hunting dogs, the like," Ginoza said with a sharp smile. "They are your subordinates and they answer to you."

.

_"__No. Why do you ask, Rei-chan?"_

_._

Rei felt a little uncomfortable with Ginoza's words. She hoped he was joking when he compared them to dogs, because that already implied a power inequality she wasn't sure she liked. Regardless, she fully faced the four lined-up people and bowed to them. "I look forward to working with you."

"Same here, ojou-chan!" Masaoka gave her an encouraging smile, and Rei became a little more at ease with her new environment.

"At least there's a cute Inspector now!" Kagari added with a flirtatious but friendly smile, which, though causing Rei to be slightly embarrassed but flattered, helped Rei become more comfortable.

Kunizuka and Kogami settled for acknowledging nods before all four returned to their desks and to whatever they were doing.

Rei turned back to Ginoza, who showed her a gun that he had withdrawn from his pocket. "This is a Dominator. Each one is keyed in to a particular Inspector or Enforcer. It checks the hues of the people you point it at. When pointed at those whose hues indicate a healthy Psycho Pass, the trigger will be locked and you won't be able to shoot. For latent criminals, the Dominator turns into a non-lethal paralyzer and you'll be able to shoot them. As for those who have extremely high Crime Coefficients, let's just say it can get pretty messy."

Ginoza pocketed the gun. "I'll be procuring a Dominator for you tomorrow when you report to work."

"Understood, Ginoza-san."

"There is one more thing, though," Ginoza said before he looked at her with stern eyes. "Never forget that Enforcers are _dogs_. _Inspectors_ are their _masters_. As such, if you feel like they'll misbehave, or if you won't be able to keep them under control during a case, then don't hesitate to shoot them with a Dominator. Since Enforcers are latent criminals, they'll be hit with the non-lethal paralyzer. Is that clear, Sakaki?"

So the Enforcers were all latent criminals. It meant that she would be working with people who could practically think like a criminal, and she supposed that was the reason for Ginoza telling her to feel free to shoot them. However, weren't they just… people, too? Shooting colleagues didn't just sit right with her.

Still, it probably wouldn't be good for her to question her senpai on her first day.

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Dismissed."

* * *

_"__My kaa-san used to tell me that people were destined to meet each other, maybe even to fall in love."_

.

.

.

It was supposed to be simple, and the odds were so low on her side, but fate didn't seem to be kind to her today.

It was her first case, and Ginoza felt she was ready to try out the field work and all. They were supposed to track down a guy named Tanaka Eiji, who was holding a woman named Ishikawa Mayuri hostage.

The first plan of action was to go to where Ishikawa Mayuri was last seen — her apartment. The strange thing was that there was no sign of a break-in from outside. The evidences that a struggle had occurred could only be seen inside.

"Hmm," Ginoza hummed as he inspected the interior.

"Um, Ginoza-san?"

"Yes, Sakaki?"

"Would it be possible to check if Tanaka Eiji was in any way linked to Ishikawa Mayuri?" Rei asked.

"What makes you say that?" Kogami interjected, the gleam of acceptance present in his eyes encouraging her to continue.

"Well, if there was no sign of a break-in from the outside, then that means that Tanaka had the password to the apartment, _or_ he had gotten it from someone close to Ishikawa Mayuri. However, my gut's leaning towards the former."

"We can check with Shion-san." And after a call with the mature blonde she had met in the labs of the Ministry of Welfare, it was discovered that Tanaka Eiji had, in fact, been Ishikawa Mayuri's ex-boyfriend before she dumped him for another man. It also turned out that she had done so because Tanaka Eiji had been obsessive.

These information had led them had served as the foundation for their investigation, until more information came to light that led them to a dark building consisting of apartments. Tanaka was confirmed to be inside with the hostage.

"Alright, Masaoka with me. We'll be waiting by the entrance. Kunizuka and Kogami, you'll be the ones to go and get the suspect and to make sure he doesn't escape. Worst case, he'll escape from the back, which is where Sakaki and Kagari will be. Understood?" Ginoza instructed and he received nods in return. "Sakaki, remember, point your Dominator at him. As of now, he'll probably just be a latent criminal in terms of his Psycho Pass. The Dominator will just paralyze him. Don't hesitate to shoot."

"Yes, sir," Rei said as she and Kagari headed to the spot where they were assigned to stay in. She was nervous about the mission, something in her head waving red flags at her. However, she was happy Ginoza had assigned her to a place where it was unlikely for the man to come out. It was her first mission, and she was understandably anxious.

Her anxiety became even more justifiable when, minutes after she and Kagari had positioned themselves outside the back door, close to a dark alleyway that was barely lit, Tanaka Eiji came out holding a knife.

Rei stiffened but found the strength to point the Dominator at him. It read his Psycho Pass and had set itself to non-lethal mode. Just as she was about to take the shot, she hesitated.

_I… I know this is different from killing a person. I'm not killing him. I'm just paralyzing him. But hurting someone…_

But that moment of hesitation was all Tanaka Eiji needed to run towards her, knife readied in his hand. Rei's eyes widened in fear for her life but she couldn't move.

Everything seemed to play in front of her in slow motion.

The shine of the metal knife glistened as it slowly neared her, but the arm holding it was easily deflected by Kagari. The orange-haired man swiftly disarmed Tanaka Eiji, holding him in place. Kagari then looked at her meaningfully.

Rei steeled herself as she pointed the Dominator once more at Tanaka Eiji.

She squeezed the trigger, and Tanaka Eiji screamed before falling limp.

.

When the others finally arrived at the scene, with Tanaka Eiji in handcuffs and Ishikawa Mayuri being comforted by Kunizuka, Rei moved away and leaned against the wall of the alley where she had paralyzed Tanaka Eiji. She knew going into the MWPSB would probably entail her to do stuff like that. It wasn't just an office job that she had entered, after all, but this was her first time actually hurting someone like that.

"You okay?"

She was a little startled, but she looked up to see Kagari beside her, leaning on the wall as he looked up at the stars. She looked back down to the ground, wrapping an arm around her waist for a semblance of comfort. "It was my first time to hurt someone like that. I— I'm sorry for hesitating, Kagari-san."

"Don't be," Kagari said as he looked at her. Even with the dim lighting of the surroundings, he could see the worry in the hazel eyes under ash brown hair; he could see the mix of relief and confusion that flooded into them after his words. "If you didn't hesitate on your first mission, I would have been worried."

"…Why?"

"You're an Inspector. It means you have a healthy Psycho Pass, which already indicates a high chance that you've never hurt someone before. And that's okay," Kagari said.

"That was just the paralyzer mode, though. What if… what if he had a higher Crime Coefficient? Would the Dominator…"

"Maa, think of it this way, Sakaki-chan. You're not hurting someone because of your job. You're _protecting_ someone else by doing just that. And that makes the difference between you and me."

When she looked up at him, she could see an off-looking smile dancing on his face. "Kagari-san?"

"Latent criminals will hurt people for the pleasure of it. Or for revenge. Or the like. But Inspectors hurt people to protect others. That's the difference."

And though his words made sense to her, his smile didn't.

(She found that she didn't like seeing him like that.)

* * *

_"__Your mother was a hopeless romantic, then."_

_._

_._

.

Rei knew she needed combat training. The previous mission was already an indication. Shooting someone with a Dominator from afar was one thing, so was relying on an Enforcer for protection, but it was another thing to have to rely on yourself for protection.

Rei sighed as she entered the Ministry of Welfare's facility for combat training. It made use of droids that you could personalize with particular fighting styles, or the level of difficulty and the like.

The facility was well-lit, with an area for towels and a large space in the middle surrounded by mats. The sound of punches reached her ears as she saw Kogami and Kagari sparring. Kogami looked like he was winning, but Kagari was holding his own as he weaved through Kogami's jab and aimed for an uppercut towards Kogami's ribs. Kogami easily dodged it and moved to throw a punch towards Kagari before he noticed Rei watching.

"Ah, Sakaki."

Rei gulped. "I'm sorry for distracting you, Kogami-san, Kagari-san! I— It was just fun to watch. Sorry."

"Mm, it's fine, Sakaki. We were just finishing up anyways," Kogami said before he neared her and grabbed a towel. It was then that she noticed Kogami had been shirtless, and she quickly turned the other way to give him his privacy.

A low chuckle came from Kagari, who moved to stand in front of her. "Never seen a shirtless guy before, Sakaki?"

"I _have_. I just wanted to give Kogami-san privacy," Rei huffed, but turned pink once she noticed that Kagari, too, was shirtless. She let out a small squeak before covering her eyes with her hands.

She heard Kogami snort behind her. "I'll go on ahead. Kagari, instead of tormenting her, make yourself useful and teach her how to fight. I'm assuming that's the reason she's here in the first place. Isn't that right, Sakaki?"

"I— yes, Kogami-san."

When Kogami left, she heard Kagari say, "Chill. I put on a shirt already."

Hesitantly, Rei peeked at him from between her fingers and saw that he was, indeed, in a white shirt already. The shirt was fit, though, and it didn't hide his form and— _stop, Rei! Bad girl!_

Rei cleared her throat before crossing her arms. "So um, yeah."

"Eloquent," Kagari snorted. "So, what brought on the urge to want to learn?"

"I—" Rei sighed. "Last time, I was just lucky you were there. If you weren't, well…"

"So you want to know how to defend yourself?"

"Yeah. I know there'll come a time when I won't have either the Dominator or any of the other Enforcers to depend on. When that time comes, I want to be prepared."

Kagari stared at her with serious eyes before nodding. He went to one of the droids and set it to a low level before dragging Rei towards it. "Fight."

"Wait, _what?_"

"I could teach you all the forms in the world, but there's nothing like going into it unaware. Hey, at least you're fighting a droid," Kagari laughed. "No, but seriously, this will help."

.

Fighting the droid had actually been pretty manageable for her. Of course, Kagari did tell her that she was fighting it at the lowest level, and of course, the droid did get to hit her a lot of times before she was able to defend herself from its attacks.

"Good job, Sakaki-chan," Kagari said as he handed her a towel.

"Rei."

"Hmm?"

"You saved my life, Kagari-san. The least I could do is offer the use of my first name."

"Maa, then call me Shusei, Rei-chan. And drop the '-san'. I'm not old man Masaoka."

After she wiped her face and neck, Kagari called her back to the mat. Curious, she placed the towel on top of a table and walked over. "Are you going to teach me a form this time, Kaga— Shusei-kun?"

"Nope. You're gonna spar with me this time," he replied with a wide grin.

"Ka— Shusei-kun, are you out of your mind?" Rei panicked. "I was watching you and Kogami-san spar a while ago, and I'm _definitely_ sure I'm not ready for that!"

"I'll go easy on you, Rei-chan! Besides, it's one thing to fight a droid, and another to fight a human!"

Rei reluctantly let him have his way as she prepared to fight. She was nervous because she knew how good he was at fighting, based on the spar she had seen earlier. That, and even now, she still hesitated to hurt someone. It was hard enough for her to shoot the man in her previous case, but it was a small comfort that she had not fought him directly. Now, though, there was no Dominator. It was just her.

.

She had held her ground at first, but she knew it was because he was going easy on her. When he upped the level a bit, she found herself exhausted and her brain's commands weren't immediately executed by her body anymore. Hence why she found herself on the ground. Her arms were pinned to the ground by his left hand as he knelt above her, crouched slightly as he balanced himself with his right hand, which was pressed down firmly on the ground next to her.

She was breathing heavily, and she could feel the tiredness coursing through her. She gazed up at Kagari, who wasn't sweating as much as she was, and who was breathing normally.

"One day," she breathed out with amusement at her situation, "one day, I'll get good. And I'll be the one winning."

"I'll hold you to that," Kagari grinned before releasing her from his hold and helping her up.

* * *

_"__People do say I take after her."_

_._

_._

.

After solving another case, the members of Division 1 ate together in the dining area in the Ministry of Welfare. They were seated in two circular tables. The first table had Ginoza, Masaoka, and Yayoi, while the second table had Kogami, Kagari, and Rei.

Rei was hesitant to ask what was on her mind, but it had been bugging her lately. "Um…"

Her utterance had earned the attention of both Kogami and Kagari.

"I was just wondering… what do you guys do after work?"

The brief moment of silence that followed after made her chuckle nervously. _Maybe it was a stupid question to ask. See, Rei, you embarrassed yourself. Stupid, stupid!_

She was about to just continue eating when Kogami answered, "We have rooms here. They allow us to personalize it, and the expenses come from the Ministry's funds, so long as the requested items are reasonable _and_ so long as they're seen as rewards for our performance on cases. Such items include grocery items, of course."

"We're not allowed to leave, though. _Ever_," Kagari added sardonically. "I mean, not unless we wanna die."

"I—" Rei felt her mouth drop open as she looked down. _So this is the life of Enforcers… Stuck here in this building with little to no freedom. Does this mean they're only allowed to move around here? They're only allowed to leave the building when it's for cases? Isn't that… lonely? _

And for some reason, she could understand why the Enforcers seemed to loved the chase during cases. They needed some action. _Otherwise, they would probably go crazy, huh?_

"Oh," was all she said before she continued eating.

If Kagari or Kogami had noticed her suddenly somber mood, they didn't say or do anything to make her think they did.

* * *

_"__Maybe they're right. You fall in love too easily, hmm?"_

_._

_._

.

_Three months later._

Their current case involved a mob boss. Masaoka and Kunizuka were taking care of the grunts in the north part of the mob's base, while Ginoza and Kogami were handling the boss himself and his bodyguards. This left the south part of the base for Rei and Kagari.

Ten muscled grunts growled at them. Kagari easily dispatched six of them by knocking them out. Though they were big men, Kagari made up for his smaller stature by being quicker. Rei, on the other hand, manage to paralyze a few of them afar.

Her eyebrows furrowed when she counted the bodies on the floor. _Seven… eight… nine… Where's the other one?_

Rei quickly scanned her surroundings before gasping, "Shusei-kun, duck!"

Unfortunately, the warning came too late, and the last grunt was able to knock out Kagari.

When the grunt looked at her, Rei hurriedly aimed the Dominator at the grunt. The Dominator, however, changed to Destroy Decompose mode. It seemed the grunt had a Crime Coefficient comparable to his boss'.

Rei's hand shook slightly. She had gotten used to paralyzing people with the Dominator. Killing them was another thing.

But as she looked at the unconscious Kagari, and the knife the grunt had in his hand, she forced herself to pull the trigger.

.

When Kagari awoke the next day, Yayoi was there to inform him that the had gotten knocked out by a well-placed punch from the grunt, and that Rei had taken care of the grunt that did it.

Kagari narrowed his eyes at Yayoi. "When you say 'taken care of'…"

Yayoi nodded.

Kagari gritted his teeth. "Stupid… Doesn't she know she could increase her Crime Coefficient that way?"

"That's exactly why she's undergoing mental health care therapy right now. To be fair, she wasn't too affected. She kept telling herself it was to save both herself and you."

.

When he was cleared to go the next day, Kagari brisk-walked to their office. It was her off day, but he had heard from Yayoi that Rei was in the office finishing up the report on the case.

_Stupid workaholic._

And that was how he found her: tapping away on her tablet as she saved the file she was doing and sent it to Ginoza's email. It was just when she was getting ready to leave that she found him staring at her.

"Oh? Shusei-kun, you're okay! Are you feeling better now?"

"You—" he hesitated before shaking his head and laughing. "You're okay, right?"

"Of course, I am!"

"No, I mean, with what happened," he said, looking at her intensely. "The therapy went okay?"

"Yup! I was easily cleared. They say it didn't make any lasting marks on my Crime Coefficient, so they were just making sure I processed things smoothly."

"And did you?"

"Yup."

He looked at her again, making sure she was being completely honest before he nodded to himself. "You done for the day?"

"Yeah, I don't really have anything to do now since I finished the report."

"Come with me?"

Her smile and nod made him smile. Just a little.

.

It was his first time bringing someone else to his room (the other Enforcers didn't count), and he watched as she looked around with fascination at the mini-arcade he had in his room. He chuckled at her behavior, earning her attention. He gestured towards the couch and told her to take a seat as he got out a bottle of wine, some glasses, and a bowl of ice for the bottle.

"Old Man Masaoka gave me some from his stash. Thought I'd share it with you as thanks."

She looked confused, and he found that she looked cute like that. _Wait, what. Shusei, what the fuck? _"But Shusei-kun, you saved me, too, on our first case. It's pretty much returning the favor."

He shook his head. "Those were different circumstances, Rei-chan."

He then popped open the bottle of wine and poured some into a glass, handing it to her. He then filled up his own glass and tilted it forwards. "Cheers?"

She pouted but clinked their glasses. "Cheers."

They both finished their wine in one gulp. Of course, that led to more glasses getting filled until Kagari could feel a little woozy. "How are you not like me right now?"

"If you mean tipsy, it's because I've been pacing myself. You've been treating these like shots," she said with amusement. "Do you always invite girls to drink with you?"

"Of course!" he answered honestly. He was always honest when tipsy. "It's my way of getting to know them. It's just drinking and talking, anyways."

(Though his head hurt a lot after taking a quick nap after drinking, he could have sworn he saw a frown appear on her face when he answered.)

"Here I was thinking I was special," she joked.

"You wish," he winked at her.

Eventually, they ended up playing 20 Questions, and they even played card games when he pulled out a deck.

He couldn't remember the last time he was _this_ relaxed, this happy.

.

Rei woke up with a mild headache, causing her to groan as she opened her eyes. She blinked, adjusting her eyes to the dark room that she was currently in.

_Where am I?_

Suddenly, she remembered that she had gone drinking with Kagari, but they had been drinking on the couch. She placed her hands on the surface beneath her and felt that she was on a bed, if the fluffy blanket was anything to go by.

She was on a bed.

_She was on a bed._

She squealed softly, hurriedly standing up and checking herself and the surroundings. The room was dimly lit, the only source of light coming from the moon outside the window. She had been lying down on two red-colored pillows. More importantly, all her clothes were intact on her person, except for her black coat, which was placed at the foot of the bed. There was also a fresh set of clothes next to the cloak with a note that said, 'Change into them once you wake up'.

So she changed into the loose, long-sleeved v-neck shirt and the black boxer shorts.

_Where's Shusei-kun though_, she wondered.

She opened the door of the room and found him in his kitchen, cooking scrambled eggs.

"Good evening, Rei-chan!" Kagari grinned at her. "Sorry it's just eggs. I haven't asked for grocery items yet."

"No, it's okay, Shusei-kun. Eggs are my favorite food," Rei said shyly as she sat on the couch. "I'm really sorry for the trouble. Did I pass out?"

"Actually, you said you'd just take a quick nap on my couch then you just ended up sleeping. Good thing I sobered up by then. I brought you in my room after," Kagari answered before his cheeks dusted pink. "Hey, I promise, I didn't do anything creepy, though!"

There was nothing but honesty in his voice, and so she laughed. "It's okay, Shusei-kun. I trust you."

The words seemed to please him as he started placing the eggs on dishes, serving her her own.

"Thank you for the meal, Shusei-kun. And for the clothes," Rei said. "I didn't know you cooked."

"I much prefer cooking my own meals. Lets me add my own flavors to it, and it's my own effort, you know?" Kagari shrugged.

Rei nodded and ate her egg, eyes widening. "Shusei-kun, this is really good! The seasoning's perfect, too!"

"Of course it is. I made it, after all," he smirked, making her roll her eyes amusedly.

After they ate, and after Rei washed the dishes ("You didn't have to, Rei-chan." "You already cooked. It's only fair that I wash."), she said, "Guess it's time for me to sneak out. I'll just change into my clothes."

Kagari snorted. "Just keep my clothes. I have a lot of the same kind, anyways."

She gawked at him, so he added, "C'mon, Rei-chan. If you're seen by either Gino or Kogami, at least you can say that you just forgot your coat at your office and that's why you came back."

After a few moments of weighing her options, Rei nodded and retrieved her clothes and coat, making sure to the fold the clothes and placing them inside the folded coat. "Thank you again, Shusei-kun. I enjoyed today."

And she left with a smile.

* * *

_"__What do you mean?"_

_._

_._

.

"Funny, isn't it?" Masaoka told the dark-haired girl as they walked through the hallway of the house where their recent case had taken place. They had finished successfully arresting the guy, a Fujiwara Akito, who had committed three cases of arson. The house they were in had served as his hiding spot up until about five minutes ago.

"What do you mean?" Kunizuka asked him.

Masaoka gestured to the two people walking in front of them: Rei and Kagari.

"What about them?"

"Haven't you noticed?" Masaoka chuckled. "Every mission we go on lately, he's more than eager to be partnered with her, and he's suddenly put in more effort to really protect her. Even now, despite him joking around with her at this very moment, he's still being aware of his surroundings and of any potential danger."

"…Isn't that just doing his duty?"

"It's more than that. It's amusing, really."

Now that Kunizuka _really_ looked, she could see it: the way he still scanned the surroundings for any potential danger, the way he made sure he was a step ahead of the girl beside him.

She saw Kagari as a little brother, and for all the years they've spent together in Division 1, she'd never seen him more _alive_. (Deep down, she was thankful for Sakaki Rei. Without her, Kagari would not have smiled as brightly as he did now.)

"I suppose it could be our new form of entertainment at the office," she chuckled.

"Hoho~, indeed!"

* * *

_"__You see the good in people. You always try to understand. Maybe that's how you maintain your crime coefficient, cos I sure as hell wouldn't do what you do."_

_._

_._

.

Ginoza sighed as he watched his colleague and one of the Enforcers interact. It was sickeningly sweet, the way they were suddenly more attentive towards each other. If it weren't for Masaoka and Kunizuka whispering to each other a few days ago, while pointing at the odd pair in front of him, he would never have noticed.

But now he did.

He noticed how, whenever Rei would stay up finishing a report, there would always be a cup of coffee next to her, care of Kagari. He noticed how, whenever Kagari was eating from his sweets jar, Rei would always replenish it early the next morning with a different kind of sweet.

He had already warned her. He told her that Enforcers were just _hounds_. She wasn't supposed to get attached, much less _this_ kind of attached.

Unfortunately, he also did notice the change that had become evident in the papers in his hands. Kagari Shusei's Crime Coefficient had dropped, according to the latest scans. It wasn't a drastic drop, but it was significant enough to warrant his attention. It was something that had never happened before to an Enforcer. Sure, there would be margins of error for fluctuating values of Crime Coefficients for latent criminals, but the latest scan showed something outside of Kagari's margin of error.

Beside him, Masaoka chuckled. "Something wrong, Nobuchika?"

"These just don't make sense. Is it something bad? Is it something good?" Ginoza put the papers down on his desk and gestured exasperatedly towards them. "Should I have been more forceful when I told her she had to treat Enforcers as people below her? Should I tell her again?"

Masaoka laughed. "Sometimes, Nobuchika, things don't make sense, and two of those things are infatuation and the person you end up liking. Maybe this," he gestured to the papers with a gentle motion, "was for the best. You won't really know now, Nobuchika, but time will tell."

* * *

_"__Anyways, continue the story. So fate let them meet. And then?"_

_._

_._

.

"Are you joking, Rei-chan? Please for the _love of Kami,_ tell me you're joking."

"…I'm not, Shusei-kun."

"You— I— this is unacceptable."

"…"

"I have a copy right here. We just need a bigger screen. And popcorn. Popcorn's always good. Or maybe tacos. The _point is_: you're _clearly_ missing out, Rei-chan, and that's terrible."

"…"

"Rei-chan, do you have a projector or something? Maybe I should request one for myself. Either way, come over, Rei-chan! What better way to learn than from a Master?"

"…"

"Rei-chan, are you still there?"

"…Yes, I am. I also have a projector at home. Hold up. I'll be there in ten."

"Okay, Rei-chan~"

So she turned off her phone and sighed.

.

To be fair, it wasn't her fault that she hadn't had the opportunity to watch _Star Wars_. It had never really peaked her interest before, nor did she have the time to try it out, but she supposed now she had a reason — and the time — to try. Thankfully, she didn't have work today, so she could afford to go along with Kagari's whims.

After she found the portable projector that she had in her apartment, she headed over to the Ministry of Welfare and then, to Kagari's room.

She only knocked twice on the door before he opened it with a huge grin. He was wearing a tight black shirt and loose black shorts. _Stop checking him out, Rei, oh my kami. Just _**_stop_**_._

"You gonna let me in?"

"Of course, Rei-chan."

After she stepped inside, he closed the door before gesturing towards his room. Inside, she found a pile of pillows on top of a large, fluffy blanket that he had placed on his bed. Some of pillows were propped up by the headboard of the bed.

"Cozy," Rei remarked as she set up the projector and made herself comfortable on his bed.

"It's meant to be," Kagari chuckled as she entered his room with two large bowls of popcorn. "One bowl with cheese powder for me, and one bowl with barbeque powder for you."

"Thank you, Shusei-kun."

Rei accepted the bowl and placed it in front of her as she sat crossed-legged on the bed. Kagari started the movie and then dimmed the lights in his room before plopping down next to her, popcorn already in his hands.

.

When the credits started rolling, Kagari stretched his arms. "Waa~ wasn't that amazing, Rei-chan?"

When no response came from the brunette, he looked at her and saw that her eyes were closed. She was cuddling with the pillow that was placed between them, deep in sleep.

Kagari chuckled. "Well, at least, you're getting some sleep, you workaholic."

He got her empty bowl of popcorn — something that satisfied him since he was the one who made the popcorn — along with his and deposited them in the sink. He washed the bowls and washed his hands before heading back to his room. After turning off the projector, he grabbed another blanket and put it over Rei before he settled down next to her.

"Maa, you really shouldn't be sleeping next to men so easily, ya know? Silly girl," Kagari told her fondly, hesitating for a few seconds before bending down to leave a butterfly kiss on her cheek.

"Goodnight, Rei-chan."

* * *

_"__Then they became friends. It had a rough start but they learned to tolerate each other. Eventually, they learned to become friends. And _**_more_**_."_

_._

_._

.

On one of her off days, Rei decided to eat out with her friend, Yamamoto Hiro, a man with blonde hair and blue eyes. Although she could pretty much call her office at the MWPSB her second home from the number of hours she spent there on her work days, it was still a nice experience to have a change in environment, which brought her to eat with Hiro at an ice cream parlor.

"MWPSB, huh?" Hiro hummed as he dug into the bowl that contained his mango-flavored ice cream with chocolate chips and whipped cream. "No wonder I haven't seen you in a while."

"It's not like your job makes it easier to meet up, either."

Hiro had an office job, and though he didn't give her any specifics, Rei could tell that the job was taxing, if his eye-bags were any indication.

"Point," he chuckled, pointing his spoon at her. "Are you okay now, though? I know you said it's a job your tou-san just made you take."

Rei shrugged, mixing around the contents of her chocolate-flavored ice cream with sprinkles and brownie bits. "I admit. I didn't really look forward to it at first, but…"

"Ho~" Hiro smirked. "Something good must have happened to make you smile like that."

Rei blinked and found that she actually had ended up smiling subconsciously. She laughed breathily. "The team's like a family, you know? My colleague seems strict and standoffish, but he cares about the team in his own way. The only other female colleague and another male colleague are also really kind to me, like when they tell me to get some rest whenever I just go into the zone when I'm typing reports. The older male colleague really puts me at ease. He's like a dad to us, you know? Always giving advice and stuff. And then there's my other colleague. He's…"

Hiro tried to contain his laughter. From the way Rei was looking, it seemed as if she was smitten with the colleague she had in mind.

"Well, go on."

Rei flushed slightly. "He's— he's really— _nice_."

"So why does everyone else have concrete explanations except for him, _hmm_?"

"He— I— well," Rei stuttered. "I just— there's so much to say— I—"

"Have you ever considered that you might have a crush on him?"

"…_What_?"

"I mean, you're turning really red right now. And I know it's not because you're sick or anything."

"I _am_?!" Rei exclaimed, grabbing a compact mirror from pocket and examining her face. To her embarrassment, she was, indeed, turning red. "I— I don't— _do I_?"

"You tell me, Rei," Hiro said amusedly. "What exactly have you and this guy been up to?"

* * *

_"__Generic."_

_"__Shush you."_

_._

_._

.

Kagari could feel her glaring at him from her desk. Curious, he turned around to see that Rei really was looking at him intensely, the pen in her hand gripped firmly.

"Rei-chan?"

It took a few more seconds of her glaring before she stood up and said, "Shusei-kun, we need to talk."

And then she started pulling him out of the office and towards his room. It was a good thing they were the only two remaining that day. It was Kogami and Masaoka's off days so they were in their rooms, and Ginoza and Kunizuka had something to attend to outside of the office. Otherwise, what just happened may have looked weird to them.

Inside his room, she stood in front of him, fidgeting nervously. He decided to lean against his locked door, arms crossed.

"What's bothering you, Rei-chan?"

"I— I was having lunch with my friend, Hiro, the other day."

"…_Hiro_?"

It was a male name, and Kagari couldn't help but feel jealous about it. He had liked the smaller girl for a while know — he couldn't remember when it started, but he knew he did, so hearing that she was out with another _male_ left him uneasy. Who was he to talk, though?

_She deserves better. She should be with a guy who she could date outside of the office, someone who she could be with. Someone free. Like her_, he thought bitterly.

"—sei-kun? Shusei-kun?"

He snapped back to attention, giving a fake smile. "Maa, sorry, Rei-chan, what were you saying?"

"I— never mind, it's nothing," Rei sighed as she moved to leave.

"Hey, don't be like that, Rei-chan. What's up?" he grabbed her wrist lightly to hold her in place. She did end up merely inches away from him, though.

He watched as she nervously gazed up at him, cheeks flushed. "I said I was talking to Hiro when I realized something."

He wasn't sure if he wanted to hear the next words. _And what would she say? That she realized she liked Hiro? Congrats. _His grip on her wrist tightened just a little.

"I realized I liked—" she looked away from him briefly, eyes determinedly stuck to his chest. "I realized I liked you."

He blinked, previous thoughts removed from his head as he gazed at her in awe. "You—"

"I'd like to go now." He could hear the nervous tremble in her face.

"No, wait, hear me out, Rei-chan," he said, cupping her face in his hands and urging her to look at him. "Rei-chan, I like you, too."

He watched her hazel eyes widen before she turned pink. He chuckled as he tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Rei-chan, can I kiss you?"

Her soft whisper of 'Yes' was all the consent he needed before he leaned in.

It was just something innocent — lips pressed together for a few moments before he pulled away and saw her flushed face.

"Do you— do you do this with women, too, Shusei-kun?" she stuttered nervously.

Briefly, he recalled that he had mentioned taking women out for a drink.

He smiled, resting his forehead on her. "Nope. You're the only one, Rei-chan."

.

Later, they found themselves on his couch. Rei was sitting down, going through one of the few books that he owned, while he lay down on her lap, playing with the strands of her long and wavy ash brown hair.

"Rei."

"Hmm?"

"Tell me a story."

Rei chuckled, closing the book and placing it on the table in front of her. She combed her fingers through the silky strands of his hair as she thought of a story.

"Do you believe in fate, Shusei-kun?"

"No. Why do you ask?"

"My mom used to tell me that people were destined to meet each other."

"Your mother was a hopeless romantic, then."

"People do say I take after her."

"Maybe they're right. You fall in love too easily."

His statement caused her to look at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

"You see the good in people. You always try to understand. Maybe that's how you maintain your crime coefficient, cos I sure as hell wouldn't do what you do."

At this, she blushed, unused to being praised. "I don't know about that…"

He chuckled, pinching her left cheek slightly. "Anyways, continue the story. So fate let them meet. And then?"

"Then they became friends. It had a rough start but they learned to tolerate each other. Eventually, they learned to become friends. And _more_."

"Generic," he joked.

"Shush you," she flicked his forehead gently in retaliation.

"So what happened after?"

* * *

_"__She betrayed him."_

_._

_._

.

It was a busy day for the other Enforcers, who were out on a case with Ginoza. Ginoza had given Rei a day off as an advanced birthday present, although he would never admit that that was the reason for doing so. Rei was just informed by Masaoka, who told her that 'Nobuchika's just shy, Rei-chan. It's for your birthday, he said.'

Rei chuckled to herself as she finished sorting the documents on her desk and placing them in their respective binders. She then stood up and wrapped her black coat around her before exiting the office and locking up. She headed to the elevator and entered once it opened, pressing the button that would lead her to the ground floor.

She hummed to herself while waiting. It was going to be Kagari's birthday soon, and she only found out because Kunizuka had mentioned it to her before they left for the case. Maybe she could bake him a cake when she got home.

Rei smiled excitedly as she thought of her plans for his birthday and exited the elevator once the doors opened. It was only when the elevator closed once more that she realized that she _wasn't_ on the ground floor.

It seemed she was in one of the basement floors.

Frowning to herself and wondering if she had made a mistake in pressing the buttons, she pressed the 'up' button for the elevator, but the button wouldn't work. Neither would the 'down' button.

Frustrated, she knew she couldn't call any of the division members because she didn't want to distract them with something so small. She sighed before choosing to walk around the floor, noting that there were dead ends everywhere except for a door that led to a metal railing. Upon closer inspection, the railing turned out to be connected to flights of stairs that led all the way down.

Suspicious, Rei headed down the steps and followed the passageways until she saw something that made her stiffen: brains upon brains sorted into mini-cubicles on the ground, transported using metal claws that grasped the glass containers that held the brains.

"What…?"

"Do you find it intriguing, Sakaki Rei?"

She turned around to see Kasei Joshu, the Chief of the Public Safety Bureau. Though she never met the woman in person, she did hear about her from Ginoza, and Masaoka had shown her a picture of the woman for future reference.

"I'm sorry, Kasei-san, but I just don't understand what this is."

"This is Sibyl. What it really is. I brought you here, Sakaki Rei."

The way the woman spoke brought chills down Rei's spine as she defensively took a step back away from the woman. "I beg your pardon?"

"It has come to our attention that Kagari Shusei's Crime Coefficient decreased lately. Though only by a small increment, it was below his margin of error, and so, it doesn't reduce the possibility that he could lose that latent criminal status. It also doesn't mean that he will. But because of that possibility, which we never thought could happen, you've become a threat, Sakaki Rei. And this is where we will dispose of you."

"I— what—-"

A Dominator was then pointed at her, causing Rei to inhale sharply with fright. She did, however, find the courage to say, "Dominators only work on latent criminals and those with high Crime Coefficients. That won't work on me."

"But the Dominators follow what Sybil wants," Kasei smiled at her smugly. In a short moment, the Dominator entered Destroy Decomposer mode, causing Rei to pale.

Her knees shook as she ended up being unable to move from her spot.

"And Sybil wants any kind of threat gone, Sakaki Rei. Goodbye."

* * *

_"__What? Why? How? That's a big jump."_

_._

_._

.

"Where's Rei-chan? It's been two days. Did she call in sick or something?" Kagari asked with a light-hearted tone but deep down, he was worried. She was _never_ absent. Sickness could be a possibility, but something was telling him that that wasn't the case.

"She hasn't," Ginoza replied but before he could add anything else, he had to excuse himself as he was being summoned by Kasei Joshu.

Kagari sighed as Ginoza left, mindlessly munching on a chocolate bar.

"Worried about your girlfriend?" Masaoka chuckled as he ruffled Kagari's hair.

Kagari just nodded and continued munching, oblivious to the surprise Masaoka showed.

"So you really are—"

"Yep."

"We saw it coming," Yayoi added with a small smile. "I'm happy for you."

Kagari managed to summon a grin, which quickly disappeared when Ginoza came back to the office in a hurry. "That was fast. What—"

"Sakaki Rei has been reported missing as of today."

"…What?"

.

According to Kasei Joshu, Rei's last Crime Coefficient scan, which was allegedly taken the other day, had shown an increase in her Crime Coefficient. They said she had reached the levels of a latent criminal.

Kagari knew it was impossible, but the data that was presented to him by Ginoza, who had gotten it from Kasei, said otherwise.

Was it his fault, he wondered? Could the Crime Coefficients of latent criminals be that contaminating?

Judging by the look in Ginoza's eyes as he stared at him, it probably was.

* * *

_"__He didn't know why. No one around him knew why either."_

_._

_._

.

They tried. Every single member in Division 1 kept an eye out, went through countless security footages and scans, but it was as if Sakaki Rei had just disappeared.

Ginoza said that Kasei had no choice but to declare that Sakaki Rei had run away, and that she was to be arrested on the spot if spotted for questioning.

Kagari still couldn't wrap his head around it, though. She had no reason to run away, at least, none that he knew of. She was happy in Division 1, wasn't she? It couldn't have been that. She didn't run away. He just _knew_ she didn't.

But with no leads, Division 1 couldn't do anything.

And so they were forced to leave the case unsolved.

* * *

_"__So what did he do?" _

_"__He couldn't do anything, so he just let time pass by."._

_._

.

The _replacement_ Enforcer arrived during a case, and Kagari couldn't help but compare her to Rei, listing down all their differences in his head, completely disregarding for a moment that Rei's situation and introduction to the team had been in different circumstances.

He could hear Ginoza giving the same warnings he had given Rei at first, but he was harsher now, more adamant about maintaining that order he hoped to achieve, because he probably wanted to prevent what had happened.

And a part of Kagari couldn't blame him.

_He didn't think he wanted someone else in his place._

* * *

_"__And then what?"_

_._

_._

.

When he invited Tsunemori Akane to have a drink in his room, he couldn't help but see another brunette in her place, one with long, wavy hair instead of the short hair Tsunemori kept.

"Don't worry, Akane-chan," Kagari grinned. "I always invite girls to have a drink."

And all Tsunemori did was inquire about Kogami, which he expected, but Kagari couldn't help but compare her again to Rei. Maybe Ginoza had a point about drawing a line between the relationships of Enforcers and Inspectors.

But not a day went by that he stopped thinking about the girl who just vanished without a trace.

Where was she now? Was she okay? Was she safe?

Why did she leave? Did she ever consider the feelings of those in the division? He probably couldn't speak for the others, but he knew Yayoi and Masaoka were fond of Rei.

"—gari-kun? Kagari-kun?"

Tsunemori's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "Are you alright, Kagari-kun? I didn't think you had low tolerance for alcohol. Is that the reason why?"

"Maa, don't worry, Akane-chan," Kagari chuckled before standing up and heading to his room. And what could he tell her? _"The last time I drank with a girl, she just ended up disappearing, you know"? Yeah, right._

"I think I just need a nap, Akane-chan."

* * *

_"__And then he found out why."_

_._

_._

.

Kagari had finished killing the other members of Makishima's friend's team as he roamed the staircase below the fourth basement floor. In his hand was some form of walkie-talkie that one of the dead people had was used to communicate with Choe Gu-sung, Makishima's aforementioned friend who was in charge of hacking Sibyl.

"Oh, Enforcer," Choe chuckled, "Makishima and I did background checks on Division 1. For more information, you know? And I found something interesting about you, Enforcer. Inspector Sakaki Rei-chan."

At his words, Kagari made a show of scoffing, but he tightened his grip on the nail gun he was holding in his other hand. "What are you doing, chasing ghosts?"

"I told you I was hacking into Sybil, right? I don't usually do this, Enforcer, but I thought you'd like to hear it," Choe chuckled before an audio file was played.

The contents caused Kagari to pale.

_"__What…?"_

_"__Do you find it intriguing, Sakaki Rei?"_

_"__I'm sorry, Kasei-san, but I just don't understand what this is."_

_"__This is Sibyl. What it really is. I brought you here, Sakaki Rei."_

_"__I beg your pardon?"_

_"__It has come to our attention that Kagari Shusei's Crime Coefficient decreased lately. Though only by a small increment, it was below his margin of error, and so, it doesn't reduce the possibility that he could lose that latent criminal status. It also doesn't mean that he will. But because of that possibility, which we never thought could happen, you've become a threat, Sakaki Rei. And this is where we will dispose of you."_

_"__I— what—-"_

_"__Dominators only work on latent criminals and those with high Crime Coefficients. That won't work on me."_

_"__But the Dominators follow what Sybil wants."_

_"__And Sybil wants threats gone, Sakaki Rei. Goodbye."_

The sound of the Dominator's shot in Destroy Decomposer mode, along with her scream, made him growl. Kasei Joshu — _Kasei Joshu_ — had killed her. Rei had been killed. _Rei had been killed. _(Because of him. Because of him. They had seen the change in him. But was it so bad? Wasn't it better that way? Did they think it was destroying the balance? He hated them. Sybil could burn.)

One part of him was relieved that she really didn't run away, that she didn't just leave them, that he hadn't caused an increase in her Crime Coefficient. (Surely, it was something Kasei — _Sybil_ — had planted as 'evidence' to cover up what they had done. Lies, lies, _lies. _It wasn't completely his fault, after all.) But he was, for the most part, angry. Shocked. Guilty. Thirsty for blood.

He sped up his pace.

* * *

_"__Well don't just end it with a cliffhanger. What was the reason?"_

_._

_._

.

After Choe Gu-sung was shot, Kagari turned around to see Kasei Joshu, as a droid, pointing a Dominator at him. He almost laughed sardonically at how this had turned out.

He could imagine Rei standing somewhere near him, finding out about Sybil, too, and dying the same way he was about to.

"Man, give me a break," he laughed breathily as he heard the whirr of the Dominator's Destroy Decomposer charging up. He had no chance of making it out now.

_I'll see you in the next life, won't I, Rei?_

.

.

.

_"__Mother didn't tell me what they talked about. She just said it didn't work out, but that they rendezvoused in the next life. And all was well." _

_"__Maaaan, your kaa-san should've added more details. Felt vague." _

_"__Maa, what can I do? Anyways, could you move your head for a bit? I want to lie down on the couch, too."_

_._

_._

.

* * *

**Me: I hope you enjoyed this oneshot! : Reviews are very much appreciated!**

* * *

**Some Notes**

**(1) For the rooms being personalized, I'm not sure if it was ever mentioned in the anime, but then I felt like it would be okay to assume that the items in their rooms either came as "rewards" for their performance, or you know, as item requests. I was leaning towards the latter, but I felt like I'd much prefer combining the two to be sure. Plus, I also felt that the funds would come from the Ministry. Maybe like, since the Enforcers couldn't go out, and since there weren't really ****_salaries_****, per se, then the Enforcers just listed what they want and were 'rewarded' as such.**

**(2) This is all anime-based and from what I recall watching, so if there's any OOC parts or like parts that kinda don't make sense, my bad.**

**(3) Because Rei came first, Kagari won't be as attached to Akane. Nor would he find her cute.**

**(4) Okay so in the way I write, whenever I'm focusing on Rei, she'd address Yayoi as Kunizuka, but when I'm focusing on Kagari, Kunizuka turns into Yayoi since they're more familiar with each other and the wikia says Yayoi treats him like a little brother, so yeah.**

**(5) I hope none of you found the drinking scene cringey ;-; From experience, I do drink with friends sometimes during like birthdays and whatnot, though I've never actually passed out or anything. Changing into my friend's clothes and eating dinner after is something I did experience, though, so I hope it wasn't yeah haha**

**(6) Source for additional research and for the cover of this fanfic: ** psychopass. fandom wiki/ Shusei_ Kagari


End file.
